VICTORIA - Traditional sweaters hand-made by B.C. aboriginal knitters will be part of the official line of Olympic clothing, after an agreement was reached between Vancouver Island's Cowichan Tribes and the Hudson's Bay Company.

By Dirk Meissner
THE CANADIAN PRESS
VICTORIA - Traditional sweaters hand-made by B.C. aboriginal knitters will be part of the official line of Olympic clothing, after an agreement was reached between Vancouver Island's Cowichan Tribes and the Hudson's Bay Company.
Hudson's Bay spokeswoman Shari Burnett said Monday there now is a deal with the Cowichan Tribes of the Duncan area, 60 kilometres north of Victoria, to sell genuine, hand-knit Cowichan sweaters in the company's flagship Olympic store.
"We are expecting some sweaters from the Cowichan Tribes to be inside the Olympic superstore on Feb.1," Burnett said.
The Cowichan Tribes objected publicly last fall when the Bay introduced its Olympic apparel because one sweater, selling for about $350, appears to be similar in design and look to the Cowichan sweaters, for which the Cowichan Tribes are widely known.
The Cowichan said they viewed the Olympics as an opportunity to sell their sweaters to the world, but negotiations with the Bay did not result in a major deal, where band administrators envisioned selling 700 or more sweaters.
The heavy wool sweaters are best known for their traditionally grey, white and black designs, which focus on West Coast animals and nature scenes.
Cowichan knitter Martina Wilson said she can knit about three sweaters a week but she has not been officially told about the deal, and she's frustrated at the prospect of being shut out of a potential Olympic paycheque.
"I hear that they are taking sweaters, but they haven't called me yet," said Wilson, a knitter with 35 years of experience. "I am getting tired of waiting."
Burnett would not say how many of the Cowichan sweaters will be made available at the Bay store in downtown Vancouver, but another, smaller retailer who carries Cowichan sweaters said the controversy has been good for business.
Orders for genuine Cowichan sweaters have been coming in from across Canada and the United States since last fall, said Brandie Code, who manages Victoria's Sasquatch Indian Sweater Shop.
"I sold out pretty much from my warehouse," she said. "We had a booming fall and winter. We had emails coming in from across Canada and the United States wanting original Cowichan sweaters made by First Nations."
Code estimated she sold 600 sweaters last fall at her two Victoria stores and through mail orders, and business continues to grow. She ordered 84 more new sweaters this month.
She said the Cowichan sweaters sell for between $180 and $300, but she expects the prices to rise along with the popularity of the items.
Code said the Bay and the Cowichan Tribes could have reached a major deal that could have resulted in hundreds of original sweaters being ready for sale at the Olympics.
"Had the Hudson's Bay Company 18 months ago said, 'This is what we want', they could have in 18 months got about 1,000 sweaters," she said.
But the controversy created some great publicity for herself and other Victoria area merchants who sell aboriginal clothing and art.
"The collective we here have sold a tonne of sweaters," she said.